Sydney Dacres
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Sydney Colpoys Dacres GCB
(1805 – 8 March 1884) was an officer of the Royal Navy
who saw service during the Crimean War
. Born into a substantial naval dynasty during the Napoleonic Wars
, he eventually rose to the rank of Admiral
and became First Naval Lord
.
and Martha Phillips Milligan. The Dacres had a long history of naval service, Sydney's uncle, James Richard Dacres
, was a vice-admiral, while his cousins Barrington Dacres
and James Richard Dacres would both serve in the navy, the former becoming a post-captain
, the latter a vice-admiral. His father, Richard Dacres, had served with Sir Sidney Smith as his flag captain
aboard HMS Pompee
during his Mediterranean campaign, and under Captain Sir John Colpoys
, while Colpoys was commander of and . Sydney joined the Royal Navy in 1817 at the age of 12, and after serving for ten years, was promoted to lieutenant on 5 May 1827, initially aboard the 46-gun under Captain Edmund Lyons
. On 18 October Lieutenant Dacres was involved in an attack on the Turkish forces at Morea
, during the Greek War of Independence
. He and other lieutenants from Blonde, working in company with French naval forces, landed guns and helped to build batteries.
on 16 August 1836. He was promoted to post-captain
on 1 August 1840 and duly relinquished command of the Salamander on 15 September 1840. He was briefly appointed to command in 1847, before taking over command of the 120-gun first rate , from 16 November 1847. The St Vincent was at that time the flagship
of Rear-Admiral Sir Charles John Napier, commander of the Channel Fleet
. Dacres took command of the 50-gun frigate
on 28 September 1849, commissioning her at Portsmouth
and joining a Squadron of Evolution
. He commanded the Leander until 3 June 1852, when he was shifted to the screw-propelled second rate . He took command on 8 June 1852, commissioning her at Plymouth
and sailing her to Lisbon
. She spent 1853 as part of the Channel squadron, then with the outbreak of the Crimean War
Dacres sailed to the Black Sea
in 1854 to support operations. Dacres remained in command until 22 November 1854, when he was succeeded by Acting-Captain Leopold George Heath
. He was appointed a Companion of the Bath
on 5 July 1855, and on 30 April 1857 he was among the British officers who fought in the Crimea who received permission from Queen Victoria
to accept the award of Officer of the Légion d'honneur
.
Dacres then moved ashore, becoming Captain-Superintendent of Haslar Hospital and the Royal Clarence (Gosport) Victualling Yard. in July 1855, a post he held until 25 June 1858, the date he was promoted to rear-admiral. He became Captain of the fleet
aboard to the commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet on 12 September 1859, serving under Vice-Admiral Arthur Fanshawe
, and then Vice-Admiral William Fanshawe Martin. From 16 December 1861 Dacres became second in command in the Mediterranean, flying his flag aboard . He then became commander in chief of the Channel Squadron
on 24 April 1863, a post he held until June 1866 and during which he oversaw the integration of the new ironclads
into the fleet. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath on 28 March 1865, and promoted to vice-admiral on 17 November 1865, while in command of the Channel Squadron.
Dacres became a Commissioner of the Admiralty and Second Naval Lord
on 12 July 1866, rising to be the First Naval Lord on 18 December 1868. He was promoted to admiral on 1 April 1870, and was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath on 20 May 1871. He stepped down as First Naval Lord on 27 November 1872, becoming Visitor and Governor of Greenwich Hospital on 2 December that year. He was placed on the retired list on 10 January 1874.
. She gave birth to a son at Batheaston
on 3 December 1845. This was followed by the birth of a daughter on 10 January 1849 at Bath. Sydney Dacres died on 8 March 1884.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1805 – 8 March 1884) was an officer of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
who saw service during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. Born into a substantial naval dynasty during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, he eventually rose to the rank of Admiral
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
and became First Naval Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
.
Family and early life
Dacres was born in 1805, the son of Captain, later Vice-Admiral, Sir Richard DacresRichard Dacres (Royal Navy officer)
Sir Richard Dacres, GCH was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
and Martha Phillips Milligan. The Dacres had a long history of naval service, Sydney's uncle, James Richard Dacres
James Richard Dacres (1749–1810)
James Richard Dacres was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
, was a vice-admiral, while his cousins Barrington Dacres
Barrington Dacres
Barrington Dacres was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He eventually rose to the rank of Post-Captain...
and James Richard Dacres would both serve in the navy, the former becoming a post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
, the latter a vice-admiral. His father, Richard Dacres, had served with Sir Sidney Smith as his flag captain
Flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
aboard HMS Pompee
French ship Pompée (1793)
Pompée was a Téméraire-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the Siege of Toulon, Captain Poulain, her commanding officer, joined the British. She fled Toulon when the city fell to the French Republicans and sailed to Britain....
during his Mediterranean campaign, and under Captain Sir John Colpoys
John Colpoys
Admiral Sir John Colpoys, GCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served in three wars but is most notable for being one of the catalysts of the Spithead Mutiny in 1797 after ordering his marines to fire on a deputation of mutinous sailors...
, while Colpoys was commander of and . Sydney joined the Royal Navy in 1817 at the age of 12, and after serving for ten years, was promoted to lieutenant on 5 May 1827, initially aboard the 46-gun under Captain Edmund Lyons
Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons
Admiral Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons, GCB, KCH was a British naval commander and diplomat who led a distinguished career in the Royal Navy, culminating with the Crimean War and his appointment as Commander of the Black Sea Fleet...
. On 18 October Lieutenant Dacres was involved in an attack on the Turkish forces at Morea
Morea
The Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It also referred to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.-Origins of the name:...
, during the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
. He and other lieutenants from Blonde, working in company with French naval forces, landed guns and helped to build batteries.
Command
Dacres was promoted to commander on 28 August 1834, being appointed to his first command, the paddle sloopSloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
on 16 August 1836. He was promoted to post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
on 1 August 1840 and duly relinquished command of the Salamander on 15 September 1840. He was briefly appointed to command in 1847, before taking over command of the 120-gun first rate , from 16 November 1847. The St Vincent was at that time the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Rear-Admiral Sir Charles John Napier, commander of the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
. Dacres took command of the 50-gun frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
on 28 September 1849, commissioning her at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and joining a Squadron of Evolution
Experimental Squadron (Royal Navy)
The Experimental Squadrons of the Royal Navy were groups of ships sent out in the 1830s and 1840s to test new techniques of ship design, armament, building and propulsion against old ones...
. He commanded the Leander until 3 June 1852, when he was shifted to the screw-propelled second rate . He took command on 8 June 1852, commissioning her at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and sailing her to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. She spent 1853 as part of the Channel squadron, then with the outbreak of the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
Dacres sailed to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
in 1854 to support operations. Dacres remained in command until 22 November 1854, when he was succeeded by Acting-Captain Leopold George Heath
Leopold Heath
Vice Admiral Sir Leopold George Heath KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station.-Naval career:...
. He was appointed a Companion of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
on 5 July 1855, and on 30 April 1857 he was among the British officers who fought in the Crimea who received permission from Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
to accept the award of Officer of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Dacres then moved ashore, becoming Captain-Superintendent of Haslar Hospital and the Royal Clarence (Gosport) Victualling Yard. in July 1855, a post he held until 25 June 1858, the date he was promoted to rear-admiral. He became Captain of the fleet
Captain of the fleet
In the Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuries a Captain of the Fleet could be appointed to assist an admiral when the admiral had ten or more ships to command....
aboard to the commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet on 12 September 1859, serving under Vice-Admiral Arthur Fanshawe
Arthur Fanshawe
Admiral Sir Arthur Fanshawe KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.-Naval career:Fanshawe joined the Royal Navy in 1804...
, and then Vice-Admiral William Fanshawe Martin. From 16 December 1861 Dacres became second in command in the Mediterranean, flying his flag aboard . He then became commander in chief of the Channel Squadron
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
on 24 April 1863, a post he held until June 1866 and during which he oversaw the integration of the new ironclads
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
into the fleet. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath on 28 March 1865, and promoted to vice-admiral on 17 November 1865, while in command of the Channel Squadron.
Dacres became a Commissioner of the Admiralty and Second Naval Lord
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
on 12 July 1866, rising to be the First Naval Lord on 18 December 1868. He was promoted to admiral on 1 April 1870, and was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath on 20 May 1871. He stepped down as First Naval Lord on 27 November 1872, becoming Visitor and Governor of Greenwich Hospital on 2 December that year. He was placed on the retired list on 10 January 1874.
Family and personal life
Dacres married Emma Lambert on 1 October 1840 at St Pancras New ChurchSt Pancras New Church
St Pancras Parish Church, sometimes referred to as St Pancras New Church to distinguish it from St Pancras Old Church, is a 19th century Greek Revival church in London, England.-Location:...
. She gave birth to a son at Batheaston
Batheaston
Batheaston is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England , on the north bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 2,625...
on 3 December 1845. This was followed by the birth of a daughter on 10 January 1849 at Bath. Sydney Dacres died on 8 March 1884.